Mexico
Although many people just go for the beaches, Mexico offers impressive mountain
vistas (pictured in Puerto Vallarta), great food, and historic ruins that compete
with the best in the world. Begin Your Journey!

The Mexicans are conservative in most aspects of their lives and this is best seen
in their behaviors, dress, and dining etiquette. They tend to dress and act conservatively,
much of which is based on the doctrines of their Catholic faith. However, there
is also great variety in the way the Mexicans behave as the country is quite diverse
ethnically and geographically.

As a visitor to Mexico try to follow the lead of the locals
by dressing conservatively (see below for details), dining in the local etiquette
(see our Mexico Dining & Food Page),
and avoid sensitive conversation topics, such as politics, finances, and business
unless initiated by your local counterpart. Also try to avoid being loud, rude,
showing off wealth, or getting noticeably drunk in public.

The traditional clothing of Mexico begins with the clothing the indigenous people
worn prior to the arrival of the Spanish and other Europeans, then changed to more
European styles. Among the most common and popular of these indigenous clothes for
women are the huipil, which is a long dress-like sleeve-less cloak, a covering
called a quechquemitl, which is a woven poncho, and a rebozo,
which is is a simple piece of cloth often wrapped around the shoulders when it's
cold, or used as a sling of sorts to carry objects, including young children. These
clothes were originally fairly dark in color, but with the arrival of the Europeans
new dyes arrived and today these pieces of clothing can be very bright and colorful.
The men wore very little prior to European arrival, so were quick to adopt western-styled
clothing when it arrived, including shirts and pants. However, the men also incorporated
the sarape, which is a woolen cape and the sombrero, which is
a hat.

Today many people still dress in these traditional clothes, but they are generally
found in more rural places and many are indigenous people as many Mexicans today
prefer to wear modern western-styled clothing. As a visitor to Mexico there are
few dress restrictions. Many tourists visit Mexico solely for the beaches so scantily
clad dress is commonly accepted in these areas. However, elsewhere the Mexicans
tend to dress a bit more on the formal side as long-sleeved pants and shirts are
common for both women and men while some women prefer long dresses. This conservative
dress is especially true in business settings, as suits are the norm, and in churches
the arms and legs should be covered. Although the Mexicans are fairly relaxed on
dress rules, sunbathing naked is rarely permitted, even on tourist beaches so be
sure to check with locals before doing so.